Finally, for those who hate musical intrusions into their comedies, here is an early Abbott and Costello(A&C) comedy sans any musical number. As in their other early films, there is a romantic couple in progress, but virtually no time is spent on it.
A&C are attendants at the snack bar in the building were a radio station(GBC) is located. Actually, their ambition is to have scripts for a murder mysteries program accepted for broadcast. Thus, they hope to meet an influential person or 2 at the bar who can help them get started. Lou has problems filling his orders correctly, especially one for a Limburger cheese sandwich. The smell knocks him out, so he dons a gas mask and clothespin over his nose.
A smart aleck bellboy(Walter Tetley) shows up and bets Lou a nickel he can drink lemonade faster than Lou can fill up a new glass. He drinks five glasses before full, and it only cost a nickel. This becomes a running gag, as Walter makes a fool out of Lou several more times before disappearing from the story.
The boys get an invitation to the broadcast of "Murder at Midnight". Before the show begins, the network president, Colonel Andrews, sitting in the back of the room(why?)has an announcement to make. He picks up the microphone and keels over, dead. Initially, it's thought he suffered a heart attack. But, it's noticed that the chair he was sitting on has an all metal frame, and that there is a wire leading from a high voltage outlet to a chair leg. Thus, when he picked up the microphone, that would produce an electrical circuit that would run through his body. Thus, it's concluded he was the victim of a very sneaky murder plot(or maybe a very clever and dramatic suicide?) Sounds highly contrived. Anyway, A&C decide they will try to solve the murder mystery and use that as the basis for a murder script. Unfortunately, the duo soon become prime suspects, at least in the minds of 2 detectives, played by the charismatic William Bendix, and by William Gargan. The remainder of the film largely consists of a cat and mouse chase involving these 2 duos, plus a search for the real murderer.
Patric Knowles, a new staff writer for the program, and his newly reinstated girlfriend, played by Louise Allbritton, producer of the show, form another informal investigation team, snooping around in the deceased's office. Soon, Mr. Andrew's physician is found murdered in Andrews' closet. However, the main focus of the investigation remains directed at the murderer of Mr. Andrews.
Knowles, with the approval of Louise, decides that a reenactment of the "Murder at Midnight" program might reveal the murderer(Makes no sense to me!). Well, this harebrained scheme actually works. Incredibly, the murderer is sitting in the 'electric chair' during the reenactment and dashes out at the appropriate time(Again, this makes no sense to me). A&C soon exit after him, but the cowards hope they are going in the opposite direction from the presumed murderer. If fact, they are following the murderer to the roof. A&C have quite a time trying to escape from or capture the murderer, with Lou 'out on a limb' in the last part.
During one segment, where Lou is trying to escape the detectives, he suddenly is part of a gymnastics team practicing their routine, somewhere in the radio station building(Why would they be there?).When Lou jumps on a seesaw from a height, it breaks, and he goes through the floor. ...Then, Lou gets retarded detective Bendix to demonstrate on himself how his handcuffs work, and Lou won't use his key to open them...While traveling in the back of a van, the boys hear a radio announcement that Lou has won $10,000. from a radio program, if he calls Alexander 2222 within 5 min.(ridiculous). So, they hop out of the van, into the drug store across from the radio station. Lou is very frustrated trying to call from a pay phone, with busy signals and waiting for other users. So, they dash over to the radio station building and arrive just under the time limit(Surely, they took longer than 5 min. to do all this!).
Before identified, the presumed murderer shows up as a shadowy figure periodically, taking on the aurora of a ghost, in the boys' minds...Then, Lou accidentally activates a record player that has a murder mystery recorded on the record. Lou thinks he is the intended victim.
There are many other comical tidbits. I am disappointed that the initial murder scene, identification of the murderer, and certain other scenes important to the plot are so contrived. This film is 5-10 min. shorter than the other early A&C films, perhaps due to the absence of any musical numbers(were such deleted?).
A&C are attendants at the snack bar in the building were a radio station(GBC) is located. Actually, their ambition is to have scripts for a murder mysteries program accepted for broadcast. Thus, they hope to meet an influential person or 2 at the bar who can help them get started. Lou has problems filling his orders correctly, especially one for a Limburger cheese sandwich. The smell knocks him out, so he dons a gas mask and clothespin over his nose.
A smart aleck bellboy(Walter Tetley) shows up and bets Lou a nickel he can drink lemonade faster than Lou can fill up a new glass. He drinks five glasses before full, and it only cost a nickel. This becomes a running gag, as Walter makes a fool out of Lou several more times before disappearing from the story.
The boys get an invitation to the broadcast of "Murder at Midnight". Before the show begins, the network president, Colonel Andrews, sitting in the back of the room(why?)has an announcement to make. He picks up the microphone and keels over, dead. Initially, it's thought he suffered a heart attack. But, it's noticed that the chair he was sitting on has an all metal frame, and that there is a wire leading from a high voltage outlet to a chair leg. Thus, when he picked up the microphone, that would produce an electrical circuit that would run through his body. Thus, it's concluded he was the victim of a very sneaky murder plot(or maybe a very clever and dramatic suicide?) Sounds highly contrived. Anyway, A&C decide they will try to solve the murder mystery and use that as the basis for a murder script. Unfortunately, the duo soon become prime suspects, at least in the minds of 2 detectives, played by the charismatic William Bendix, and by William Gargan. The remainder of the film largely consists of a cat and mouse chase involving these 2 duos, plus a search for the real murderer.
Patric Knowles, a new staff writer for the program, and his newly reinstated girlfriend, played by Louise Allbritton, producer of the show, form another informal investigation team, snooping around in the deceased's office. Soon, Mr. Andrew's physician is found murdered in Andrews' closet. However, the main focus of the investigation remains directed at the murderer of Mr. Andrews.
Knowles, with the approval of Louise, decides that a reenactment of the "Murder at Midnight" program might reveal the murderer(Makes no sense to me!). Well, this harebrained scheme actually works. Incredibly, the murderer is sitting in the 'electric chair' during the reenactment and dashes out at the appropriate time(Again, this makes no sense to me). A&C soon exit after him, but the cowards hope they are going in the opposite direction from the presumed murderer. If fact, they are following the murderer to the roof. A&C have quite a time trying to escape from or capture the murderer, with Lou 'out on a limb' in the last part.
During one segment, where Lou is trying to escape the detectives, he suddenly is part of a gymnastics team practicing their routine, somewhere in the radio station building(Why would they be there?).When Lou jumps on a seesaw from a height, it breaks, and he goes through the floor. ...Then, Lou gets retarded detective Bendix to demonstrate on himself how his handcuffs work, and Lou won't use his key to open them...While traveling in the back of a van, the boys hear a radio announcement that Lou has won $10,000. from a radio program, if he calls Alexander 2222 within 5 min.(ridiculous). So, they hop out of the van, into the drug store across from the radio station. Lou is very frustrated trying to call from a pay phone, with busy signals and waiting for other users. So, they dash over to the radio station building and arrive just under the time limit(Surely, they took longer than 5 min. to do all this!).
Before identified, the presumed murderer shows up as a shadowy figure periodically, taking on the aurora of a ghost, in the boys' minds...Then, Lou accidentally activates a record player that has a murder mystery recorded on the record. Lou thinks he is the intended victim.
There are many other comical tidbits. I am disappointed that the initial murder scene, identification of the murderer, and certain other scenes important to the plot are so contrived. This film is 5-10 min. shorter than the other early A&C films, perhaps due to the absence of any musical numbers(were such deleted?).